Fate spun tightly
by Starysky205
Summary: He wonders, momentarily, what his life would've been like by now if he hadn't had that realization. He decides that whatever other outcome could've formed for him, he'd chose this one thrice over; and there's a lot of power to the number three. (Sequel to Intertwined)
1. Consequence of action

If I were to tell you all my creativity went into this particular one-shot, would you believe me?

* * *

1\. Consequence of action.

The first is a dove, and Leo thinks maybe this is his step-mom's way of extending an olive branch, of letting him prove that he's not beyond saving; their name is Ollie, they have an accent he doesn't recognize, their skin looks as though it's been washed out, and they impossibly pinkish-red eyes. Albinism, Leo learns with them, looks very different on what's supposed to be black skin and features.

Out of all, Ollie is the one he spends the most time with, considering his first idea was getting as far from Camp as possible before sleep knocked him out; and they didn't make it any easy to journey back. But he'd adored them regardless, for the time the two spent together; a week later he lost all contact with both camps, and thus fully took on the title of rogue.

{-}

The second is a sapling, green life sprouting beneath his small feet as he walked by him, his godly mother kind enough not to threaten Leo, but rather strike a deal with him; one of many he'd have to handle through his new life. The boy's name was Michael, he had a calm sort of attitude, a quiet disposition, and plants swaying to his will.

His relationship with Michael is a little awkward, a lot stunted due to their differences, but he adores him too while it lasts; three days after he leaves Michael close to camp, Leo stumbles into a cornfield and manages to get himself a few cobs.

{+}

Leo doesn't like talking about the third and fourth, a symphony of two, because twins generate twins, and genetics can easily trump even the otherworldly; it's why he looks so much like his great grandfather, he supposes. They both seem to glimmer under the sunlight, undisturbed as Leo made sure to get them away from prying eyes so he can give them a proper sendoff; drachmas settled gently in their eyes, a makeshift pyre.

For the first time since he 'revived' he thinks about obsidian encased in terribly sad eyes, about eerily fair skin turned blue under them, barely pinkish lips pulled into something weaker than a snarl. He makes a quick player for safe passing of souls, voice even as he pushes the memory away; he never gets to learn their names.

{-}

The ten after that are untouchable, in the sense that Leo can't get involved even if he wants, with each one added he fades from the 'gods' to 'deities', to using symbols and signs and synonyms, never names, not if he wants to stay alive. He forges deals, and alliances, and connections he dares not take lightly; learns how to properly pronounce words he'll never say.

He grows cautious, but he also grows in other ways, sharpening his senses, learning from the enemy and adapting it to himself. And he learns to use his fire again, step by step.

{+}

He likes thinking about Brie even less than he does the twins, because he actually got her half-way to safety; and she was his sister. To say her death devastates him is putting it lightly, to say he abandoned all sense of mercy during her last moments would be a lot more accurate; he thinks that day will haunt him forever, no matter what.

Sending her off is hard, but not doing it would've been worse, he wants her to pass on properly, not waiting in line for the ferry, or getting trapped in the river of lament; he knows better than to wish for a specific judgement of her soul though. He makes two prayers before lighting the pyre, one quick to his father apologizing, the other one longer, methodical; the one to accompany a funeral.

{-}

Next comes the little thief, Kim, nearly too quick on her feet for Leo to really follow; he's spent enough time on the street that she doesn't immediately run off after the explanation, though saving her from a very angry drakon probably helped too. She's a good change of pace he thinks, however much Leo suffers her; and he does, because Kim seems set on driving him fully insane.

Leo adores her, because of course he does, he always does.

{+}

After Kim comes DJ, who Leo doesn't think was ever actually awake through their very short adventure together. And it is really an adventure, because Leo never had such vivid dreams outside of the prophetic ones he's still saddled to; nightmares he can't get rid of or deal with.

He reminds Leo that laughter is something that exists outside of keeping a front; that their days are counted anyways so why not enjoy every opportunity for joy and amusement.

{-}

After DJ comes Asher, and he's different from the twins, and yet oh so terribly similar; he's a bit of a flip script, but only because Leo had been testing his humanity. He hadn't been planning to die, which is something he has to explain very carefully to Asher, just see if his blood was still red.

He's technically not Leo's business, but he's close enough to it that Leo helps him regardless; besides he owed the boy for the medical treatment. He'd never planned on visiting the Wolf House again, but if Lupa recognizes him, she does nothing about it.

{+}

Then come Josh and Crystal, who just so happened to be in the same area as the next power hungry monster; fully unrelated to each other, magic and victory respectively. Leo had actually dreamt about them before their actual meeting, and they'd dreamt about him; so convincing them of trusting him was a little easier than usual.

They a little older than he's used, nearing the 13 year-mark; and it's a wonder that he got them out of the situation alive and only slightly afraid; but he only gets two days with them. That doesn't stop him from becoming fond, it never does, and he curses at this particular trait of his; it's why he's in this position in the first place, because his heart gets the better of him.

{-}

Twenty half-bloods, twenty lives; 17 cases of doubt and hope and something else, something Leo is afraid to name; something powerful and old, as is always the case. He doesn't pay attention to the time, to the brushes with death, to a hundred and one things he pushes away in order to survive.

He learns to become detached, just enough that the end isn't quite as terrifying as it used to; just a simple fact of life, a statistic he beat out of sheer luck and with more than a little divine intervention.

And then there's Brooklyn, and the world of Nephilim and downworlders, and his deal with Magnus, and sharing living space with Simon, and finding Nash, and Nico finding him. Brooklyn leaves a print on him like no other city, the most certain thing he's had in actual years; and as it fades in the distance Leo acknowledges that he'll miss it.

It's perhaps the most human he's ever felt, rushing through the air in Festus' back, Nico a cold but sure pressure against him. It feels very much like the start of something, like the start of everything.


	2. First steps

My problem is that I have a set idea for how Leo and Nico's relationship works once everything's settled, but I have to get there first.

* * *

2\. First steps

Nico wakes up to the feeling of wind rushing a little harsher than before, and the telltale feeling of his ears popping from the change in pressure. It's a weird sensation to wake up to, very different from travelling through the shadows; but Leo is nothing but patient as he helps him down from Festus, and lets him lean on him until Nico's legs stop tingling.

It's a bit of a walk to the city, as Festus wouldn't be able to land and take off so close to mortals without causing some sort of commotion; Leo tells him this with the tone of someone who's made that mistake before. When Nico asks, Leo sighs and starts telling him about his very first quest, the one he'd gone on before Gaia and the Argo II.

He stumbles in some parts, voice trailing off when talking about Piper, something resigned in his tone; Nico gets him to keep going every time, his bitterness towards the Aphrodite child worsening bit by bit. It's clear that there's some part of Leo still holding onto hope, which is understandable as it is heartbreaking, because Piper has no intention of seeing reason, infatuated as she's become with the goddess; but there will be time to talk about that later, for now Nico wants to learn as much as he can about Leo.

But that is a two-way street, so when Leo finishes his story, Nico tells him about his own adventures; and finds it a lot less painful to remember than ever before. Leo takes it all in almost avidly, seemingly as greedy for this sort of exchange as Nico feels; and that is unsurprisingly reassuring.

They make a stop for breakfast, and have some close brushes with creatures not in the Greek or Roman mythological catalogue; which prompts Leo to talk about his time away.

That story leaves his lips in much brighter way, and Leo sounds actually proud in some parts. Nico knows he's really into Leo, but everything he's learning seems to cement that further.

The best part is the certainty that Leo is interested in him; not the way Nico is yet, but at least he has a very tangible chance.

"What about you? I know you mentioned spending time away, after..."

He makes a motion with his hand, like he doesn't want to say it outright; and Nico appreciates that more than he cares to admit.

"Learned to control my powers with the original Ghost King, helped Percy become invincible"

He shrugs as he says it, feeling flustered under the look Leo's giving him now; the Latino huffs loudly, steam coming from his mouth.

"People at Camp Half-blood really are idiots"

Nico arches an eyebrow, appreciating how Leo's temperature rises as he gets angry on his behalf; and maybe there's a part of him that is flattered.

"You saved their asses and they treat you like an outcast? What sense does that make?"

He rolls his eyes, turning to face Leo with his whole body.

"You did too, but they still trust a stranger over you"

Leo sighs and presses their foreheads together, looking drained; they'll have to get somewhere they can rest at, and possibly some food.

"How is it that it took me this long to realize I like you this much"

Nico gets a giddy sort of feeling hearing those words, and he's probably giving Leo the most lovesick look, because he's completely enamored, like the fool he is. The moment is broken by a roar nearby, Nico detaches himself form Leo's warmth, hand already going for his ring.

"Come on leone, we have work to do"

Leo laughs, bright, and breathy, and a little crazed; and Nico feels absolutely enchanted.

"Ok, let's do this ángel"


	3. A brush with Fate

The fact that these are one-shot means I can play hotchpotch with the writing style, which is honestly so liberating. Are newspaper stands a thing in the US? Like little box-like posts where they sell you newspapers and magazines? Let's say they do for the sake of this fic.

Me writing this: I know nothing of US geography, why did I think this was a good idea?

* * *

3\. A brush with Fate

There's a moment where they almost, nearly, skin of their teeth, get involved in another prophecy; which, actually, Leo's impressed that's never happened to him before, to be fully honest.

Because prophecies are the bread and butter of any good demigod, so not only it's wild that Leo hasn't been involved in one in two years, it's also wild that he hasn't crossed paths with any demigod who has either. So really, this was to be expected, and to be perfectly honest, Nico and him handle it about as well as they feasibly can, considering that as rogues they're not exactly equipped.

It goes a little like this:

1\. They have to skip the first city they arrive at after nearly crossing paths with some demigods they both know, who looked like they were searching for someone.

2\. They instead cross paths with a manticore of all things, which pushes them further than they had planned to go, as they bait the creature and somehow manage to defeat it.

3\. They have to make a stop somewhere with few people so Leo could pull out a med kit from his tool belt, instead of the ambrosia he had hoped for; but at least it's something.

4\. They overhear a group of people nearby talking in Ancient Greek, and curiosity gets the better of them.

5\. Thankfully it isn't anyone they know, but they do get caught, and are two minutes away from being dragged into The Labyrinth as guides, which is actually more directed towards Nico but like hell are they getting separated now.

6\. There's another roar in the distance and they gun it in the confusion, successfully taking themselves out of the equation.

And now, they were out of breath, possibly lost, but still holding hands, so Leo figured it wasn't the worst thing to happen; particularly when the moment they make it to a hiding spot of sorts, they both start laughing breathlessly. Leo thinks he's having fun, which is a travesty, because he can't remember the last time he had fun while on the road.

It makes sense, if one thinks on why Leo ended on the road each time; but considering how much time he's spent like this, it's still really sad. Nico and him exchange looks, and then Leo tugs on their still joined hands.

"Come on ángel, let's figure out where we are"

Nico matches his step easily enough.

"And try not to get involved in any other prophecies"

Leo chuckles, and decides to invite him into this realization he's had.

"That was actually the first time I got almost involved in prophecies since becoming a rogue"

Nico gives him an entire look, which Leo contests with one of his own.

"How?"

Leo shrugs, guiding Nico to a newspaper stand, still holding his hand; he doesn't think he'll let go any time soon; and Nico doesn't seem inclined to either.

"What about you, how have you avoided prophecies these past years?"

Nico sighs, looking at one of the newspaper on the spinning rack distractedly.

"Spent a lot of time helping out in the Underworld, time runs different there; and I spent most of my time in the surface looking for you"

Leo hums, a moment later Nico squeezes his hand, tugging him away from the post so they can switch back into English.

"We're in Cincinnati"

Leo nods.

"Right, that makes sense; think we could find shelter for the night, or should we chance going back to the highway?"

Nico bites his lip.

"I'd normally say the second, particularly after this morning, but I'm actually exhausted and starving"

Leo nods, shifting to a slower pace.

"Shitty motel food and beds it is then; it's a good thing I didn't have to pay for anything in Brooklyn"

Nico makes a face, and Leo squeezes their joined hands, smiling at the Italian once he looks over. Leo's been at this for two years now, and he knows Nico did his own share of surviving in the streets; they'll manage.


	4. Technically a two-shot (part 1)

Me, upon remembering these are one-shots: Oh, fuck, I don't have to follow a time-line

Finally, an excuse to write about the different types of love. I didn't want to make Agape saccharine sweet and innocence, because I believe unconditional love is very much a choice.

* * *

4\. Technically a two-shot (part 1)

They somehow survive an entire two weeks before their money starts running out, which is how Nico finds out just how good Leo Valdez is at tricking people; something that should make him weary if not for the fact that Leo also becomes a lot smoother when doing it, so he's not all that worried. Or maybe he's just so far gone that his mind has been wrapped into simply taking everything that makes Leo himself in good light; and that'd be a bad thing, he's pretty sure.

The point is that Leo makes himself useful to mortals and gets paid a little less than what he would if he actually had the job he claims to; that is to say, Leo fixes machines for lower the prize than anyone else in the city, and quickly gets enough for them to get by for about three months.

Nico may or may not be impressed, he's not actually sure if he's allowed to praise Leo, or make any show to how deeply he feels for the other; the feeling is technically out there, and Leo seems to reciprocate in some level, but they haven't done anything about it.

Well, not exactly, they have been sharing a lot with one another, which has been a whole thing, but Nico now could safely say he knows Leo; maybe better than anyone else. There's also been a lot of handholding since Cincinnati, and almost getting tied into a prophecy; and Nico enjoys it a lot, probably more than he really should, do people get like this about holding hands even?

It's all kind of confusing, and frustrating… and it attracts the presence of a deity, which is maybe not the best thing for two rogue demigods. And apparently Leo's gotten Nico into using the non-gendered version; granted that's probably for the better if Leo's tales of encounters with higher being from other religions are to be believed, and considering what happened in Brooklyn, Nico will do just that.

It takes five minutes of the deity and Nico staring at each other silently, for Leo to get back into the room and shatter the tension.

"Άγάπη?"

There's an odd sort of familiarity to Leo's tone, something that makes Nico worry, but the deity turns to him with an amused sort of smile.

"I see you found yourself company since our last meeting"

Leo looks from her to Nico and sighs.

"Right, Nico, this is the goddess of unconditional love, and my step sister"

Leo scrunches his nose at that last part, true as it may have been, then moves across the space to stand beside Nico; giving him an encouraging nod.

"I'm Nico di Angelo, son of Άιδης"

The goddess now directs her smile at him, still looking rather amused; though Nico supposes that's a refreshing change to how most deities regard him in particular, or demigods in general. Leo goes sit in the bed directly in front of the goddess, looking as though drained of energy as he faces her; so of course, Nico joins him quickly, making sure he's still ok.

"Do mind my tone, but aren't you a little early?"

The goddess lets out a melodic laugh.

"Always so careful, but I like that plenty"

Her expression changes then, something somber taking over.

"I came to deliver an answer, hopefully one that'll help you rid of that chain you're still attached to"

Her eyes fall on Nico and her expression softens again.

"But I do like my chances"

And Nico has the epiphany-like realization that out of all deities, this would be the one to see right through his heart. Leo looks at him too, but his eyes are softer than hers, never prying, nor judging; and then he looks back to the goddess.

"Can he stay?"

The goddess smiles softly, and nods approvingly; and Nico wonders what sort of connection exists between her and Leo, that she's treating her almost like an equal. And then, she starts speaking.

"You were so sure of her, that when you died she got a glimpse of your soul before it was turned object"

She looks regretful, in a way, as though blaming herself.

"But despite what either of you wanted, you weren't meant to be hers; and she let go of so many, that knowledge drove her mad"

Leo let out a humorless laugh, and now that Nico knew what Leo's true laughter sounded like, the sound was haunting. The goddess continues, unfazed.

"So she decided if she couldn't have you, no one should; going so far to try grabbing hold of your corporeal soul when it appeared to her, to prevent someone else from having it"

Leo shifts slightly closer to Nico, something tense in his expression; the goddess keeps pushing forward.

"But you burned too brightly for her, so she burned in her attempt; ironic as that might be"

Nico feels a hand taking his, fingers intertwining carefully, and familiar warmth; the goddess smiles at them, brighter than she's been this entire time. Leo clears his throat when he sees this, face flushing slightly.

"Thank you for the information, and the time"

The goddess softens again.

"I did say I'd find the truth, though I was going to tell you at the proper time"

She looks pointedly at Nico for a moment.

"But I wanted to corroborate something"

She gives one last smile before standing up and disappearing in a beam of light; leaving the two of them alone once again. Leo lets go of Nico's hand so he can slump into the bed with a loud sigh, making a patting motion so Nico will join him, and he does.

"Ángel, can I ask you something?"

He's looking pointedly at the ceiling, expression impossible to define.

"Of course"

He turns his head to face Nico, looking beyond tired, but having his full attention still has way too much of an effect on Nico.

"How did you know she was lying?"

Nico sighs, shifting a bit to be more comfortable in the small space, maybe they shouldn't have laid down from the side of the bed.

"I paid a lot of attention to you way back when, more than even I realized; I saw the way you treated your fire"

Leo huffs, nodding his head.

"I'm still not fully comfortable using it, but I can't take the risk of not doing so"

Then Leo's turning back to the ceiling with a groan.

"We should lay properly if we're gonna do this"


	5. Technically a two-shot (part 2)

The fun thing about perspective is that from Nico's viewpoint Leo's a lot surer of what he's doing, while from Leo's viewpoint Nico is a lot less obvious about his feelings; which makes for a bit of contradictory narrating, but it's fun regardless.

Making Nico the sensible one makes the fact that he's a stubborn little shit that much funnier to me; because then it's like a conscious choice, and that's brilliant.

* * *

5\. Technically a two-shot (part 2)

After an awkward moment where they both got up and then tried to re-accommodate themselves while ignoring the other bed perfectly free to be used; they're back to laying side by side, only they're fully facing each other. It feels as though the air itself is charged, with every almost they've ever had for this to happen sooner; and now it's so much easier to remember them for exactly that.

"This shouldn't be as complicated as it is"

Leo feels as though he's been drained of energy, but being this close to Nico helps some, as he soaks in the cold the other irradiates. He wishes he could just take this in, let himself enjoy being in love again; because he knows he could be, he absolutely could love Nico, if he just let go.

"It's been two years why can't I just-"

Nico squeezes his hand, something serious in his expression; Leo sighs in defeat.

"I wish I could just be done with her, you know?"

He really, truly does; he wishes she would stop having such a tight grip on him, wishes he'd never met her. Maybe then this, the whole thing with Nico, would've happened the way it was supposed to.

"You haven't exactly given yourself the time to"

Leo tries to look away, even though he has no intention of moving any, so doing that is particularly hard; Nico still catches what he's trying to do and squeezes his hand again.

"I'm serious leone, you've keep yourself busy and haven't stopped to process"

He's right, Leo knows, even if it sucks; and he knows because he'd been distracting himself from thinking about Piper, and the broken pieces of their relationship. He needs to deal with that too, eventually, and maybe he actually will now that he's got someone who will listen; and Nico's proven to be nothing if not patient with him.

"I hope it doesn't take me forever though, wanna be with you without feeling like I'm not giving as much as I'm getting"

Nico flushes, but still manages to look frustrated with him, which is fair.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Leo feels all sorts of tired, and a little bold; the second has him pulling their joined hands close, and kissing the back of Nico's without breaking eye contact.

"Anything, everything"

Nico's entire being seems to soften at that, and knowing he has this power does not make Leo feel lightheaded, no sir it does.

"Really?"

It's said in a sigh, but Nico seems less bothered, more ready to simply accept this; like every other aspect of Leo he's shared so far, which really just makes Leo want a little harder.

"Well yeah, I apparently 'love fully or not at all', you can ask Άγάπη, it's why she likes me so"

Nico huffs, but presses their foreheads together.

"Right, I was going to ask about that"

Leo chuckles, because that's also fair.

"I did a lot of favors for deities while trying to stay alive, lot of deals like the one I had with Magnus"

He absently taps a pattern against Nico's hand, not really trying to send any message.

"Restored something of hers while trying to save DJ, boy was that a wild trip"

Leo's still not sure how much of what happened had actual effect on the real world, and how much stayed dream-side; but he also had a decent amount of fun with the lack of physics. Nico blinks at him a few times.

"The Hypnos kid?"

Leo does a short pause before nodding.

"Forgot you actually met some of them"

Nico tries for a pattern himself but he confuses his 'r's with his 'k's and his 'y's with his 'f's; Leo really needs to sit him down and brush his Morse one of these days.

"Anyway, she owed me one, and I wanted an explanation; but she also actually does like me, which has been a weird thing to get used to"

Though he chalks it up to the nature of her powers getting the better of her, like they've done with Leo each and every time, no matter how careful he is.

"Hope that's ok"

Nico shrugs slightly, apparently nowhere even close to wanting to move, not that Leo can blame him; or is complaining.

"I don't mind waiting"

Leo's heart does a metaphorical pirouette at that, while Leo himself allows his entire face to shift into a smile, feeling particularly soft. Nico sighs, sounding just as tired as Leo feels.

"I think I'm gonna just pass out here"

Leo chuckles quietly.

"Be my guest"

Nico takes him by his word because only a few minutes later he's completely asleep, Leo huffs in amusement at his ability to fall asleep, before he slowly joins him in dreamland.


	6. A warning

Remember how the first fic was a crossover? This one is too, I just concentrate on my boys a lot more because their relationship is so interesting to work with.

Leo tells Simon about his experience with toxic people, and makes him re-think his own relationships with people; because fuck the way he's treated in the series.

* * *

6\. A warning

Things have been a little chaotic in Brooklyn, maybe a little too chaotic, so when there's cawing at his window at the last moment of sunset, Simon's really glad. The messaging crows had been a little weird to get used to at first, choosing to appear always a little before all light had faded from the sky, the only piece of sun Simon gets to see nowadays; he's thankful for that much, and thankful to Leo for responding to his letter.

Writing letters has been a lot more fun than Simon thought it would, particularly the part where for a moment the paper is filled with Greek letters before it magically transforms into English; Leo explained that his and Nico's eyes were made for Greek language so they didn't read English properly, so the translations were necessary. Speaking of, Leo starts the letter by telling Simon about his latest adventure, never once mentioning where exactly he is, nor the names of any of the deities him and Nico encountered; he does mention monsters since those are after him no matter what, and he mentions demigods but never mentions their parent's names either.

He also explains the one oddity about today, together with Raphael's letter there's a small piece of paper curled into a make-shift scroll; Leo says the Moirai wanted him to pass it on, and warns Simon against reading it, something about fate and human stubbornness. Simon is beyond curious, but Leo's caution was rarely if ever misguided, so he ignored the thing to the best of his abilities; by slipping the envelope and attachment through Raphael's door and speeding away.

Finally, Leo goes on a tangent about people who aren't good for you, and how no sort of connection to them has any ground, and how Simon should cut any in his life loose sooner rather than later. For the first time, Simon gets to know about Piper; or rather, gets to have Leo's perspective on Piper, he's heard her name and knows Nico feels a special level of spite towards her.

Reading Leo's words makes Simon understand Nico's stance on this, it also makes him reevaluate everything that's lead him to become what he is now, and everything that's happened since his re-birth. This weighs heavily enough in his mind that Elliot lets him skip training that day, and then worries when Simon doesn't immediately express his joy; heavily enough that Lily sends him 'to brood' in his room.

Which is how he finds himself laying diagonal on his bed, staring at the ceiling but not actually looking, with his head doing running circles around things that already happened. And that's how Raphael finds at around 1AM, successfully braking Simon out of his loop by clearing his throat.

He looks about as ragged as Simon feels, but holds two cups in his hands as he stands in the doorway Simon hadn't bothered closing.

"Lily said you were stuck in your head"

Simon sits up, nodding slowly and making a motion for Raphael to come in; part of him wants to ask about the piece of paper, part of him simply wants him close, Simon doesn't know which part's worse.

Raphael enters without saying anything else, passing the right cup to Simon almost like a peace offering, even though they're not fighting. He notes, almost distractedly, that the blood's been mixed with ginger, and the scent makes him smile a little as he holds the cup in both hands.

"Leo's made me rethink a few things"

He remembers Nico likening Leo's unnaturally high temperature to this feeling, the one Simon gets with a warm drink between his hands; it makes it sound a lot nicer than what it had felt like to him, but Nico was unnaturally cold himself. Raphael takes the chair Simon can never leave in one place, now close to the small table he uses for composing, which is covered in sheet music.

"I think the whole betrayal thing is just now hitting him"

Simon isn't surprised that Raphael knows, considering Leo had told him they were trying to make an actual connection now that they knew for sure they were related. Though he's sure Raphael doesn't get the long rambles about Nico that Simon does; he wonders what it feels like to allow yourself to be that free about emotion, because Leo never backtracks.

"Yeah, but I think I needed him to point out the fact that I have things to process too, beyond the vampire thing"

Raphael smiles behind his cup, which Simon knows because he notices in his other features, which is maybe a little creepy; Raphael doesn't seem to notice much, and for that Simon is thankful. Quiet settles between them, and Simon finds himself thankful for the background noise his now developed ears provide; he's always been weird in that he likes the quiet but hates silence, which is hard to explain.

Right now though? He likes this, this instance of peace, this moment where Raphael and him can just exist together. It ends sooner than he wants it to, as Lily appears by the doorway, and smiles softly at them; Raphael sits up again and leaves the room without a word, simply giving her a look before disappearing from view.

Simon finishes his cup as he watches her come in and close the door behind herself; Simon likes to pretend he still has privacy in a house full of people with supernatural hearing, and she indulges him. It works better like that, Simon's more likely to actually talk like this; so he waits until he hears Raphael go into his own room, and sighs.

"Remember how Leo got me to realize I was polyromantic?"

Lily smiles in amusement.

"I do"

Simon makes a motion to the chair, which she takes with a spring on her step, and starts explaining the letter and the downward spiral it's sent him into.


	7. A bottle of ambrosia

Puzzle pieces, because I love me a good puzzle.

This took so long, I'm sorry.

* * *

7\. A bottle of ambrosia

Asher is a little worried when he gets called aside by the praetor, mind quickly running through every action he's taken that could merit a punishment, or worse, an exile; he knows it's not impossible for a demigod to survive outside of the camps, but his only proof of this had a lot more experience surviving on his own. His worries lessen once he notes there are three people waiting for him in the more or less private room he's been called to, if only to be replaced with confusion.

He recognized of the other people as the ex-praetor, a legend of a woman who leaned against the one table in the room, the other was also famous, the daughter of Pluto who could control the mist who was petting a crow. Asher was very intimidated, but also very curious as to what was happening; but thankfully the praetor was kind enough to invite him to sit down before starting to explain the situation.

Apparently, Asher's favorite son of Hephaestus is alive and well, but might not remain that way because he hadn't prepared to be away from either camp this long when he first set off; and since Leo was a rogue and could not actually pop in for a supply run, he was very much at risk of dying from lack of ambrosia and nectar. The people in the room were aware of this thanks to Leo's new permanent companion, and Asher had to contain himself from rolling his eyes, because of course Leo would pick a Hades kid to allow to stick around.

Sold as he was on the idea of helping the person who pretty much saved his life, he knew for a fact how difficult it would be to do alone; Hazel and Frank couldn't get involved due to their position within camp Jupiter, and the fact that Leo was technically an outlaw, so Reyna is going to take him to camp Half-blood to meet the rest of the kids Leo saved. He sort of has to explain that he already knows all of them, even little Nash; because Kim is amazing at keeping them all communicated and up to date.

And after a little back and forth with Reyna, on how 8 people could hide what's kind of a club from both camps, and how they even got in contact in the first place; Asher is allowed to go gather some supplies to give to Leo and Nico. He uses the time to prepare himself for how everyone's going to react upon receiving this new information; they knew Nico was on Leo's side thanks to Nash, who said they've looked infatuated with one another, so it wouldn't be surprise.

Michael would probably have made a bet with Crystal, because he liked to encourage her competitive nature for whatever reason, and Josh would've most likely been forced to get involved; Ollie would be absolutely thrilled at the romanticism of it, and DJ… DJ will maybe make some sort of agreeing sound in his sleep. Asher actually misses them a lot, now that he thinks about them, and he's been dying to talk with the new addition to their group face-to-face since the Iris Message from Kim last week.

\- …./- .- -./.-/- .. - ./… -.- .. .-.-

Camp half-blood gives Asher this odd jarring sort of feeling, like putting a circle inside a square shape, the circle does fit but not perfectly, not exactly; much like that Asher can get into the camp, and walk around, and even sleep in the Apollo cabin if he stays overnight, but he never feels like he belongs there.

Part of it has to do with his Roman heritage, majorly it's because he has to be a lot more careful about things, because while Ollie might be a force to be reckoned with, they couldn't exactly go against their cabin head; though Ollie had no issue voicing their want to do just that. Thankfully, for everyone involved, Ollie had taken to Leo's most cautious side thanks to the amount of time the two spent together; so they knew better than to act on that sort of thing; it wouldn't be just her ass on the line after all.

Asher is forcefully taken out of his thoughts by a strong body tackling him to the ground, Michael laughs brightly when Asher groans under his weight, like the little shit he is; and Asher is immediately regretting even thinking that he missed any of this. He's relieved of the weight suddenly and with a surprised high-pitched sound from Michael; he turns to get off the ground and sees Reyna holding him by the scruff of his neck like a cub, while Michael just hangs there blinking.

There's laughter from behind him, sluggish, soft, and when he turns around after finally getting to his feet he sees DJ, eyes wide open, sleepy smile on his face. The fun thing is that even like this, Asher can't say he's awake for sure until the boy gets closer, which is normal for a Hypnos kid, but that hadn't stopped it from being something all of them had a bit of trouble dealing with.

DJ has a very pronounced heterochromia, where his pupils are surrounded by a ring of sky blue while the rest of his eye is dark brown; and though Asher has seen them a decent amount of times, he always gets a little take a back. Asher smiles too, because the scene is weirdly funny, and it makes for a good way to distract himself, since he doesn't want to gawk at DJ's eyes all day and make the boy uncomfortable; it's not every day that he's actually awake after all.

A few beats later Kim comes running, and stops still when she sees them, blinks a few times, and then starts laughing uncontrollably, Michael finally snaps out of it and frees himself in order to go and try to make her stop; Reyna arches an eyebrow towards Asher.

"Are they always like this?"

Asher nods with a shrug, used as he is to it, Kim finally gets herself controlled enough to lead them to where they all gather at; though Reyna seems to know the way already. It's a little weird, generally no one in camp Half-Blood goes this far in, almost like they're actively avoiding this particular place; so he wonders how Reyna knows about it.

Bunker nine has been 'cleaned', in the sense that they've organized it just enough that it isn't a complete death trap, and they can like, hang out there and stuff; everyone else is already there, and they all look a little tense with the exception of the youngest person in the group.

Now, Asher knows for a fact that the little girl sitting between Ollie and Josh is Nash, even though he's only ever seen her once through Iris Message, because they're all very careful about these meetings. Reyna seems to give them all a once-over before starting to explain the situation, while Asher makes quick work of looking for the right place to hide supplies in case of someone else coming by; they can't have anyone finding out about this, which Reyna remarks loudly to the whole group.

Asher already knew, after all, Leo is a rogue, he's not supposed to get help of any sort; not until he 'redeems' himself to either camp. It's bullshit, because Leo can't exactly show his face at any camp either, so how the hell is he supposed to make amends?

Not that Leo is guilty, which makes matters worse, because he's out there risking his life because of something he didn't actually do; so why would he even want to make amends?

But now's not the time to be angry about that, now they have to focus on helping were they can.


	8. A clock snug against his chest

Look, I chose to do one-shots so I wouldn't have to worry about defining a time line; also because I left a lot unresolved, but I didn't have the energy to do a fully-fledged story. I don't actually seem to have the energy for one-shots either, but here we are regardless.

I'm making up places so not to do yet another research on US geography and locations; particularly with the current situation. Remember to stay home, and stay safe my dudes.

* * *

8\. A clock snug against his chest.

They're not actually supposed to get involved with demigods from other religions, but Leo is incorrigible, and Nico can't seem to say no to him; granted, the Latino had warned Nico this was bound to happen, what with the ten non Greek nor Roman kids Leo had helped in his two years as rogue.

He's amazed by how Leo changes when faced with kids, managing to reassure and teach them about the new reality they were being thrown into; and that was the other thing, Leo actually knew what he was talking about, knew enough about the other religions to help their deities' children. Leo never name drops any of the deities, referring to them by description only; which probably didn't help his case much, but Nico was still glad he was so cautious.

It made him wonder if Leo was already like that back when they first met, if all the forced humor, and bad flirting, was all to protect himself; if Leo had trusted any of them at any one point. Nico knows he had, and that said person was the reason why his caution had increased so much; why he sometimes woke up surprised to see Nico still there.

They've been sharing a lot more often since the Blue jay inn and their 'conversation' with Agape, and it's been an experience for both of them; mostly, it helps with the nightmares, and assures they get some actual rest. Nico enjoys it more than he dares to admit, not because he's particularly embarrassed by it, but because he doesn't know if Leo enjoys it too; doesn't know if this connection between them is actually real.

Leo has to step aside to contact someone on how to get these demigods to the south, something about an undergrounds network and weird rules to do with whatever religion the kid they saved descends from. As this happens, Nico allows himself to remember what pushed him in the first place; what changed everything.

He knows that seeing the clock plummeting towards the ground was the catalyst, remember the mixture of relief and confusion and near-wonder he felt as his hand grasped the chain, saving the clock; he remembers feeling that warmth for the first time too, as he quickly grabbed the actual clock.

But the real change happened after, as he hid away in bunker nine until everyone calmed down a little, knowing they would find him easily in cabin 13; and maybe the fates played their hand by making him run here as opposed to directly to the underworld like he should've, because it's there that he finds the other catalyst.

Nico has to wait a bit before shadow travelling again, so he decides to use his time to look around; he'd always been curious about what exactly Leo had in this place. It'd been a lot more organized than he expected, but in a way that would still seem chaotic on first glance, only Nico had nothing but time; amongst the various inventions, and half-done projects, one thing stood out.

Displayed proudly atop a desk covered in paper, were two things, one a crude drawing of what Nico supposed was a boat in the sky, clearly done by a child, the other a carefully drawn print of a trireme; and side by side Nico could tell both were of the same ship, the Argo II. The papers turned out to be multiple blueprints of different parts of the ship, others of Festus fitting into the figurehead; there had also been an entire pile of ideas for how to locate Ogygia, how to work the crystal he'd gotten in the caves into a compass of sorts, even one blueprint for a music instrument called 'Valdazinator'.

Then he found the drawing on the Archimedes sphere, a single number combination written over and over everywhere there was space, as though Leo was afraid to forget it, and then the thing that really did it, a map of Tartarus. Nico was hit with the memory of telling everyone about the trip Percy and Anabeth would have to make, about which was the safest route; he'd noticed Leo fiddling with something, but he never guessed it was this.

He was clearly not used to drawing maps, but where the drawing lacked, Leo made up for in little notes, each accompanied with something Nico remarked; clearly he'd been paying close attention, and trusted Nico to be telling the truth.

One memory led to another, led to a hundred more, little instances where Leo made it clear that he believed Nico, believed him to be on their side despite how the world saw children of hades; moments were he was the only one beside Hazel to refuse walking on glass around him, to treat him like something volatile. Leo had only been careful because he didn't trust himself, nothing to do with Nico, and certainly nothing to do with his godly roots; and Nico had felt a lot more comfortable around him than everyone on that ship bar Hazel, often only getting down from the crow nest at nighttime, when Leo was the only one on deck.

His death, however brief, had impacted Nico more than had made sense back then, and his return had angered him just as much; but finding out he'd been out casted from the only safe places for demigods over something he'd clearly never done had hurt the most, particularly now as Nico stood surrounded by his passions. It was easy, after admitting that, to make sense of what it was, to realize he was in love with Leo; and even easier to decide what to do with the clock now in his possession.

And here he is now, officially Leo's travelling partner if nothing else, still just as painfully in love with the boy as back then, or maybe even more so; he feels familiar ticking against his ribcage, and lets himself take the clock out to simply hold, knowing Leo enjoys the rush of cold he gets whenever Nico does that. He catches a glimpse of Leo shivering in the corner of his eye, and when he turns he finds him smiling brightly, looking directly at him.

"Hey, we have another half an hour here, do you want to plan our next stop?"

Nico ponders what he prefers, angering his godly family by ignoring his duties in the underworld for yet another day, or chancing getting separated from Leo; he clenches his fists.

"Actually, I have to take care of some things in the Underworld"

Leo gives a solid nod.

"That might be interesting, think the ferry god remembers me?"

Nico blinks.

"What?"

Leo continues unbothered.

"I mean; I did see his face for the point five seconds I was dead, but maybe I should worry more about death or your father"

Nico makes a false start to a comment, but decides to ask a question instead.

"You want to come?"

Leo shrugs, like he isn't deciding to do something that could very well end in disaster.

"Figured it'd be hard to find me if I stayed up here"

He's not looking at him, face flushed, and Nico feels his heart skip a beat, or ten. And maybe he's a little happy at the fact that Leo doesn't want to separate either.

"Ok"


	9. A small nest of blankets

Crows are one of my favorite animals, definitely my favorite bird. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to write this particular Leo going to the Underworld.

The interaction between Nico and Hades was fun, being unable to actually use Hades' name because of Leo's caution? Not so much.

* * *

9\. A small nest of blankets

The underworld was cold, not in the way the world Leo knew could be cold, less the absence of warmth, more the only thing existing; it encompassed, it surrounded, and it overpowered. It's not the first time Leo feels it, only because Nico, more connected to his godly roots than any other demi Leo had ever met, carried that same cold in his veins.

Which meant that Leo was one of very few people alive who could truthfully say they felt comfortable in the Underworld; at least temperature wise, the sense of familiarity and not was bound to give him a headache. He could, however, admit it was a lot less creepy than he had imagined, though he figured that had to do with his relationship with death, the part of life not the god, definitely not the god; if Leo's making any new relationships, he wants them to be with Nico, thank you very much.

Leo kept himself strictly close to Nico as they walked through the path to the palace, only glancing once to see Cerberus dutifully at his post when the three-headed dog let out what sounded like a rather happy bark in their direction. Leo is oh so tempted to ask, because the mental image of Nico playing with Cerberus gives him the weirdest mix of fondness/worry ever; because like, Cerberus is really big, but also, still a dog.

He was pretty sure Annabeth had mentioned Cerberus also acted very much like a dog, and deities did Leo miss Annabeth's very own way of explaining the myth vs reality; that had been an interesting conversation to have while fixing the piping of the Argo II's bathroom, but it had stablished the fact that Leo could multitask like the best. He missed all of the seven, despite his best efforts; missed what had been, or what could've been.

The Underworld palace reminds Leo a bit of Cabin 13, in an odd non-exact way, granted, it had been a while since he last saw any of the cabins; the comparison makes walking through the door a lot easier than it realistically should be, particularly considering what Leo did. His usual wary-ness comes back only when they're in view of the throne, and he's suddenly under the king's gaze; Leo drops into reverence with a practiced grace, the king of the underworld is of the kinder side of the spectrum, despite his fame, but being respectful has never gotten Leo in trouble.

He can feel every set of eyes in the room on him for a moment where Leo's almost painfully aware that he's the only of the two non-deities in this room bowing, granted Nico's technically in his realm, facing his parents; and does that mean Leo's on a road trip with a prince? A laugh cuts his trail of though, though he manages to stop himself from looking up, lest he offend somehow.

"I like this one better than your last infatuation"

The eyes leave Leo, thank everything holly.

"You like everyone better than Percy"

Nico sounds like he's offended in his stead, which is touching in it's own way, but Leo keeps his eyes on the floor.

"No mention of that Apollo child?"

Leo has to bite his lip, because deities above, the god of the dead is teasing Nico; and he's dying to see Nico's reaction, but he manages to stay put. Sweet mythos does he want someone to allow him to stop bowing.

Nico says something in sharp Italian, that the god answers in the same language, and they go back and forth before Nico sighs.

"You can stand up, he's not gonna smite you for looking him in the eyes"

Leo kinda wants to tell Nico he's been threatened for far less, to warn him, but can't right now; instead he shrugs.

"Being respectful never got me in trouble"

Nico sighs again, nodding in acceptance, and Leo's suddenly very conscious of how close they are; thankfully, Nico turns back towards his father.

"What did you need?"

\- …./… …. .. -/.-/- .. - ./… -.- .. .-.-

Leo's only somewhat decent experience with animals were the alley cats who'd cuddle up to him every winter he spent on the streets, and he's sure they only do so because he irradiates heat; it's why he can't help comparing Nico to one when he gets particularly cuddly. That is until Nico has to go deal with some Underworld issue, and Leo is sent to the messaging tower of the castle in order to tell everyone that cares what's happening; he's a lot better at writing than Nico apparently.

So now Leo's spending a lot of quality time with a murder of possibly immortal crows, who are otherwise very much still crows. They're crafty little creatures, curious to a fault, and very helpful whenever Leo takes a break to work on a side project.

One in particular, a young bird if Leo goes by sheer size alone, likes to copy Leo's distracted Morse lines by tapping various metal object he leaves in reach, or their beak if Leo's yet to pull anything out; and if Leo offers a new line, they ruffle their feathers and copy it a little louder than the first. Unlike Leo, who is not actually supposed to be in the Underworld, these birds have been born and raised her to be messagers, so Leo can feed them with pomegranate seeds, so long as he doesn't eat any himself.

The tiny crow, who Leo's been calling Code for the sake of his own sanity, goes fucking wild when Leo cuts one of the pomegranates that like to pop up from time to time; a test from the Underworld he supposes, considering Leo's entire situation. Code also has the sharpest eyesight; they've rescued more tiny-bolts from between tiles than Leo can possibly count.

So when the crow starts crowing wildly without prompt, Leo whirls on his chair to give whoever spooked his bird friend a piece of his mind. Luckily for everyone involved, the culprit turns out to be Nico, who looks mostly amused.

"Did you adopt a bird?"

Leo huffs, feeling a little flustered.

"Code's a cool crow"

Nico smiles softly, and any other time Leo would've been gone at that sight.

"You named her"

Well, that answers that question.

"She likes me"

As if to prove a point, Code actually flies up into Leo's shoulder and crows at Nico; who is still smiling softly.

"I can see that"

Leo's heart is bound to pop out of his chest at the combination of soft look from the beautiful boy in front of him, and soft weight from the corvid on his shoulder.


	10. Meanwhile

Why did I pick Shadowhunters of all things I'm into as the other half of this split pizza? Why do I always choose to make things harder on myself?

* * *

10\. Meanwhile

Raphael is worried about Leo, and worried about Simon, who is also worried about Leo; because Raphael's 'cousin' thinks going into detail about the dangers of the Underworld will make them worry less, because at least he knows what he's facing. He's not wrong per se, but there were probably better ways to convey that.

"What does Nico say?"

Raphael asks because he's not an idiot, he saw the way the two acted around each other back when they were still here; he knows for a fact that Nico cares deeply for Leo, so maybe Simon had gotten a more reassuring letter from him. The two were friends, apparently, something that confused Simon just as much as it did Raphael.

"He's busy fulfilling his duties"

That makes Raphael a little curious.

"I was under the impression they were avoiding prophecies and other demigod issues"

Simon slumps into one of the chairs in the study, no longer pacing at the very least.

"Well yeah, but Nico's dad is Hades, it's why he's so weird around us, he controls the undead"

That explains a lot actually, but now Simon is frowning for a different reason, and Raphael steels himself.

"He's a prince"

Raphael arches an eyebrow, Simon looks a little crazed, but it's better than the worry by a mile.

"Hades is the king of the Underworld; Nico is literally a prince"

This new information serves to calm Raphael's own nerves.

"So Leo's safe then"

Because if he knew anything about Nico di Angelo, it was that the boy would do anything to keep Leo alive and well.

\- …. .. …/.. …/… - ..- .-.- .. -..

A week passed before the next letter, not that it was weird, sometimes Leo and Nico had little chance to sit down and write, as they ran both from monsters and other demigods. This time it's two letters, one from Leo talking about what he did in the Underworld as though it's been a couple days at most; the other from Nico explaining that time moved differently in his father's domain, sometimes moving slower, and sometimes faster.

"At least you got an explanation, mine's just rambling about how stupidly in love Nico is with Leo"

Raphael looked up from his letter to him; it had become a bit of a habit for them to read these letters in the same space. Simon continues uninterrupted.

"Like, I can't actually say anything because I'm a disaster about my own crushes too, but like-"

He stops, and Raphael has the feeling he'd be blushing if he still could, and that's another thing, Raphael's gotten better at reading Simon. He wonders if that goes both ways and worries a little, he likes to think he's done a good job pushing his interest aside; but sometimes when Simon slips and mentions his crushes, Raphael feels a prick of misplaced pain.

"I thought they confessed already"

He says it because he knows it'll distract Simon, and it works like a charm because the young vampire lets out a groan.

"Technically, yeah, but they've both had a bad track when it comes to romantic relationships"

His expression darkens, his fierce loyalty pushing him to be angry for the two demigods; Raphael both admires and curses that loyalty, because he knows it'll push Simon to do something stupid.

"Any relationship really"

Raphael simply nods in agreement, trying to push that reminder back, like every other time since Leo sent him his very own prophecy. Only it hadn't been a prophecy exactly, Leo was very insistent on that fact, telling Raphael that prophecies couldn't be avoided; but it had been a warning about the future, as clear as Leo was allowed to make it.

It had made him a little more careful, and gave him a new understanding on why Leo and Nico were trying to avoid getting involved with fate; he can't blame them. He can however silently judge them for being idiots when it came to their obvious feelings for each other.


	11. The other two-shot (1)

Ok, so I'm gonna try to wrap this up now, sorry about the Shadowhunters half of the story, it was gonna be endgame Izzy/Simon/Raphael if anyone was curious. I have no energy for this particular story anymore, so I'm just gonna stop forcing myself to write it.

* * *

11\. The other two-shot (part 1)

Nico was running, which wasn't anything new really, not after months upon months of treading the streets with Leo, not after saving yet another dozen of demigods from doom and guiding them as close to safety as they allowed themselves; it was hard work, emotional work, and dangerous work. This time was a little different, Nico was running straight to a group of demis, so he could maybe get Leo away from their grasp.

He wasn't alone, apparently some pantheons valued life and duty, which is how he met Tera; whose godly mother had inherited her the ability to turn into a dragon. She had explained, as they settled down in a cave near their target, that she hadn't been all that good at controlling the transformation back when she met Leo; and he'd saved her not only from the powerful magic users that wanted to utilize her for all the wrong reasons, but also from the government.

"My dads almost didn't let me come until I told them I was repaying my debt, helps that they like Leo"

Despite her powers, Tera was excellent at sneaking, and didn't try fighting Nico on the plan like any other demi would've. She claimed not to be all that good at planning, and that she preferred to follow his lead, really; Nico thought her honest enough, though he was sure Leo would have words for her once the two reunited.

There's also the outside help, from Leo's very own group of demis, which is an amusing concept for Nico, particularly how baffled Leo is that it exists; that there are people stubbornly in his side. He has an easier time accepting that Nico is, at the very least, easier than when they first set off from Brooklyn; there's that help too.

Nico had sent a letter to Raphael via Code the moment he noticed Leo gone from the room they've been staying in, who quickly got in contact with Magnus, and the warlock had Leo tracked down within minutes; because Code, like any good Underworld crow, was capable of shadow travel.

So here Nico was, small backpack with nectar and ambrosia courtesy of Asher back at Camp Jupiter, an enchanted sword courtesy of Magnus and Isabelle, and holding it a demigoddess that could turn into a dragon; that was not mentioning the metallic dragon that was flying somewhere above them invisible.

And he knows that later, once he makes sure Leo is safe, he'll find this funny enough to laugh about; probably even tease Leo about it.


	12. The other two-shot (2)

I am done with this!

* * *

12\. The other two-shot (part 2)

Nico had been right about the laughing, only it came a lot sooner than planned, they had yet to be in the clear, hadn't had time to give Leo much more than a single square of concentrated ambrosia, barely managed to retrieve the tool belt that had been taken from him, and Tera's exhaustion had forced her to a middle ground between beast and human. They could very well get the tides turned on them, but Leo started laughing and Nico couldn't help himself, and now Tera is laughing too; all while still running from their pursuers.

There's a ripple of light in the air and there's Festus, purring a string of clicks that stop their laughter long enough to get on and fly away; finally, safe.

"I don't think we're stopping any time soon, sorry Tera"

She lets out a bright laugh, now fully human again.

"I should be fine to shift again by the time you get me closer to home"

Leo gives Festus a pat.

"You've heard her buddy"

Nico realizes there's something he's yet to ask her, something he should've asked before.

"I've never asked, but how did you know I was trying to help Leo?"

Tera gives him a look like he just asked something stupid, Leo actually laughs, turning to them with a brilliant smile.

"You carry my heart ángel, of course she knew"

Deities, he's beautiful.

"Yeah… this is my stop, so I'm gonna let you be gay in peace"

To further cement this, Tera stands up and does a pirouette out of the dragon, shifting as she goes down. Leo laughs again, and Nico kind of wants to ask how it is that he keeps befriending all these ridiculous people; but there's other things to worry about, like the way Leo seems to glow in the soft tones of sunrise, and the way his face changes when he truly, wholly smiles.

"Hey can you, like, stop me if this is stupid?"

Leo looks at him curiously, features otherwise stubbornly clinging to that happiness, and Nico decides that this has waited long enough. So gathering all the courage he can muster, and the remaining hints of adrenaline still in his blood, he crosses what little distance is between them, and finally kisses Leo Valdez.

He feels a wonderfully warm hand softly cradling his face, angling him a little better; and as Leo kisses him back, he decides this was worth the wait. It's here, flying who knows how high, securely on Festus' back that Nico comes to terms with something.

There's nectar and ambrosia still safely on a bag pack, with more waiting inside the tool belt his partner was wearing; there's a young crow enjoying the wind as she balances on Festus' snout. But more importantly, there's a soul turned clock safe against Nico's chest, and the boy it belongs to is kissing him for all he's worth.

And if Nico ever got offered a different outcome for himself, he would choose this one thrice over; and there's a lot of power to the number three.


End file.
